MEMENTO MORI VIVI
Natural Organic Reduction in Sihlfeld Cemetery, Zurich: Ecological Gardens and Forests of Remembrance
Our death care system has become anachronistic. Burial and cremation belong to a cultural and historical past that is evolving rapidly. Alternative death care options are gradually appearing such as natural organic reduction (aka. Human composting). How can natural organic reduction redefine our deathcare system, our perceptions of death and create a new spirituality?
The project imagines how such a system could redesign the cemetery of Sihlfeld in Wiedikon, Zurich. From the technical system of natural organic reduction to the use of nature and the spiritual design of a new ritual, the project seeks to transform the cemetery into Ecological Gardens and Forests of Remembrance. Sihlfeld becomes a sophisticated machine that decomposes and regenerates in time thanks to the use of materials on site and the help of technology. Ultimately, the project uses spatial and architectural design to decompose and rebuild our relationships with death as well as nature.
